Syrian President Bashar al-Assad tests positive for COVID-19

Syrian President Bashar al-Assad and his wife have tested positive for COVID-19 and are suffering from mild symptoms, the government announced on Monday.

A brief statement from the Syrian presidency said Assad and his wife, Asma al-Assad, took PCR tests after developing mild symptoms consistent with COVID-19. The test result was positive.

Both Assad and his wife are in a good condition and will be working from home during the next two to three weeks, the presidency said. It urged all Syrians to follow prevention measures against the coronavirus.

“President al-Assad and Ms. Asma salute the medical staff working on the front lines to confront the virus and mitigate its effects for all those affected,” the statement said.